Crossing the Lines
by CrucifixAngel
Summary: This wasn't right. She wasn't interested in James' sexual deviant of a best friend, she was interested in James. Haven had been interested in James for years and only wished she had the balls - so to speak - to tell him. The intoxicating scent of biscuits in the morning snapped her back to reality as her green hues and his grey hues met.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning: This story is rated for future violence, death, smut, and strong language. You have been warned B| *wiggles fingers creepily***

The train rumbled with movement and the pounding footsteps of Hogwarts students attempting to find spots. Groups of friends dove into compartments, claiming seats like they were fighting for plots of land. The few who didn't have groups of friends to sit with all piled in to near-full compartments or migrated to near-empty ones. The entire train was bustling with hollers and playful screams and shoving of all sorts. Some were even kind enough to mutter a 'excuse me' or an apology of sorts. Others shouted "Get out of the way!" and plowed through the crowd. It stunk of teenage body odor, hundreds of different perfumes all mixing together, and the faint scent of magic sparking the air. Not to mention the lingering smell of every person's breath that whisked by. An assortment of books held firmly to her chest, Haven tried her best to weave through the crowd without smelling every part of them or being toppled over. Wolf first and human second, Haven was having to concentrate harder than usual not to start thinking about the smells of every thing every person on the train had for breakfast. Just one group of girls she could smell pancakes cooked with bacon grease - the best kind - that was topped with honey syrup, butter, and cinnamon powder. To chase down the pancakes she had orange juice. The tangy after-scent of the juice wasn't nearly as pleasant as the pancakes, Haven thought. Most people she passed, though, offered her a clap on the shoulder, arm, or patted her head like a puppy, and offered her 'good mornings' and other greetings that simply drowned in the noise of everything else. Those rushing by in a hurry, some shoving her into other people or walls, convinced Haven to take a spot against a wall and wait until the hall was a tad more empty before proceeding.

It was just her luck, though, that someone else would come bulldozing down the hallway. "Out of the way!" Haven froze mid-stride, eyes widened. At the last second she managed to flinch, attempting to twist and dive out of the way. A forceful hand on her back shoved her into an open compartment as the person whisked by her. She closed her bright, pastel green eyes tight in fear of the inevitable impact of her becoming friends with the floor and held her breath. The sound of her books scrambling along the floor rang in her ears as her knees slammed down hard shortly after them. Haven flailed her arms out in front of her to grasp at whatever she could to stabilize herself. All her slender hands found, however, was the hem of a shirt and a thigh.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Cooed a male's voice. Hesitantly, Haven peered up at him. He had unruly, black hair, grey eyes, and a grin on his face like he'd just won the jackpot. She could hear the snickers of the others in the cabin. Almost too afraid, she glanced at the other three men. Black hair and hazel eyes hidden behind glasses, and a smug look on his face meant Haven had been shoved into the compartment of James Potter and his group of misfits. She could feel her cheeks immediately heating up with the realization. The other two: Light brown hair and green eyes with his nose in a book, and a stump with blonde hair and blue eyes. In her assessments of the others she hadn't thought to inch away from the boy she was practically groping.

"Maybe she's a mute." James' voice was teasing.

"I bet I could get some noise out of her." Haven was surprised by both the comment and by the boy gripping her arm and pulling her up. She surprised herself even further by the sudden shriek she let off and yanked her arm away from him, backing up into the bookworm, instead. A hand on her back prevented her from falling into his lap. He spoke nonchalantly to his friends.

"Perhaps you're too much of a creep and a pervert for her to be comfortable responding."

"Naw. I'm too loveable. I mean: Look at me!" He swayed in his seat and ran his hands down his body. "No one can reject this~" He even went as far as to drag the gesture out a second time. The whole compartment burst into laughter and James leaned forward enough, slapping his friend's knee.

"Don't worry, Padfoot, I can think of a few."

"Oh yeah? Name 'em!"

"That's easy." Haven could tell they were about to get into it and jumped to the floor, swiping up her books with the intention of silently leaving. The male she had landed on, however - 'Padfoot' - seemed to notice.

"Where do you think you're going?" He reached out and attempted to grab her again. Haven immediately spun out of his reach, swatting at his hand.

"To find somewhere to sit!" She practically screeched it. Embarrassment seemed to catch her face on fire. Clearing her throat, Haven tried again. "I-i . . . just wanted . . . t-to g-go find . . . a p-place to s-sit." Now she just felt stupid as she listened to Padfoot and James mock her stuttering. Haven could feel her face heating up even further, if it was possible. But, embarrassment was being accompanied by anger, by this point. Balling her fists and hugging her books even tighter against herself, she lowered her head enough to hide her face some behind her bangs. The plump one fumbled over words as he whispered to the others to knock it off. James roughly patted him on the shoulder, saying it was all in good fun and to relax. The bookworm paid no mind to the ruckus around him.

"Wormtail, hop off it. We're just screwing around."

"Screwing? Good idea." Padfoot chimed in."How long do you think it'll take to get in trouble?"

"That depends. How many missing articles of clothing does it take to catch a Prefect's attention?"

"Well, we could always bet on it."

Haven didn't want to be apart of this conversation any longer. She was afraid they might start using her to test their 'theories'. Ever so slowly she begun backing out of the cabin door, watching the four like a hawk. She could feel the train still rumbling as it sped along the tracks. The vibration felt good against her feet. She figured she could be nose-deep in a book about now, sitting in a quiet compartment, the vibrations relaxing her and possibly even putting her to sleep. Padfoot hopped out of his seat and wrapped an inviting arm around her. He gave his speech about how they could all make room for her or she could just sit on his lap. Along with his invite he offered promises of being gentle and not biting . . . too hard. Haven was preparing to hit him with one of her books. The thought was certainly tempting. Pulling more off to the side, away from him, she let her fingers slip between her books, grabbing one firmly and half-preparing for a war. When Padfoot went to move closer to her, she whirled the book around, shouting at him to "Stay back!" A little surprised, Padfoot recoiled a step but mostly held his ground. He threw his arms up defensively, catching her wrist in one hand and gripping the book in the other. Haven almost felt at a loss, thinking to herself that this was going to be a lost battle. Padfoot pulled her closer, removing her choice of weapon from her grip. He leaned in close, whispering in her ear, his breath hot down the nape of her neck.

"Now, that wasn't very nice."

"Give it up, mate, let her go." One of the others inside the cabin hollered. Haven's mind was racing too much to pick out which male it was. Being wolf, Haven was - usually - surprisingly good at controlling the awkward ability to smell everything; but, today was an off day. She smelled just about everything - especially about Padfoot, being as close as they were. What he had for breakfast, his deodorant, the scent of every person he'd been around that day, the dirt and scent of explosives and mischief on his clothes, and - most of all - his desire. All the scents made her dizzy and she was almost glad he held so tightly on to her for fear of toppling over otherwise. Haven attempted to speak but all she got out was noises. Even if she wasn't fumbling over words, at the moment, she wasn't sure what she'd even say to him. This wasn't right. She wasn't interested in James' sexual deviant of a best friend, she was interested in James. Haven had been interested in James for years and only wished she had the balls - so to speak - to tell him. The intoxicating scent of biscuits in the morning snapped her back to reality as her green hues and his grey hues met. They shared an intense stare.

"Black, mind telling me what you're doing?" An irritated voice rang through the halls. A devious smirk spread on Padfoot's face. "Harassing fifth years, I see." Lily strode up to Haven and Padfoot, scowling at him.

"Self defense. She attacked me with a book."

"Oh? My report may just 'accidentally' forget that bit if you don't unhand her." He immediately let go. "Besides, I'm sure she attacked you out of self-defense. Do I have to file a report on sexual harassment, Black? Or perhaps attempted rape? That ought to keep you out of trouble for a while." Padfoot's face went ashen as he raised his hands defensively once more.

"I had no intention of doing anything she didn't want me to."

"Of course not!" Howled Alice, rounding Lily to snatch the book from him. "You can't ever behave." Lily put a hand on Alice's shoulder and stepped between her and Padfoot. Before she could say anything, however, James came up beside them.

"Now, now Lily. All of this can be talked out over coffee and tea. You, me, a private room. How about it?"

"Sure, Potter. Feel free to accompany 'Yourself' there."

"Awe. Just one date? I promise you won't regret it."

"Give it up, Prongs." Padfoot nudged James, laughing.

"Both of you: Stay out of trouble. If I hear any more disturbances from you I'll get all the Prefects down here to baby sit you. And no . . . I won't be apart of it." James and Padfoot almost looked ecstatic, Haven thought, until Lily said she wouldn't be there. The two shifted uncomfortably under Lily's green glare before she wrapped an arm around Haven's shoulders and ushered her along. Haven could smell the peculiar scent of cinnamon, sandalwood, lemon, and leather combined into Lily's perfume on her Gryffindor robes. "You don't need to be mixed up in their mischief." Haven wondered, though, as she glanced back over her shoulder at James and Padfoot rushing back into their cabin, whether she really wanted not to be involved with James' mischief. She wondered if he even remembered her. It had been her first year when they met and it was only because of him she made it on the train. Of course, she didn't think much of him until the end of that year. With a reassuring pat on the back, Lily informed Haven she should probably change into her robes. "It's best to be ready." She said. The train ride would still be a while, Haven thought, but perhaps Lily had a point. After retrieving her book from Alice she found an empty compartment and changed.

* * *

"Watch where you're going!" So much noise.

"Full speed ahead!" Noise everywhere.

"First years this way!" People screaming everywhere.

"Follow the big guy!" Shoving, trampling, racing.

"Race you to the carriages!" Such a big crowd.

"What did you do for summer?" It was the usual hustle and bustle out of the train. Everyone chasing each other around, looking for friends or victims of torture and other means of entertainment as they all migrated towards their destinations. All of the first years crowding around Hagrid and everyone else finding their means of transportation. Haven hopped out of the train with grace and, smoothing out her skirt with one hand and clinging tight to her books with the other, took a deep breath of air only to expel it rather quickly, scrunching up her nose. Something about the smell of horny teenagers, sweets, tree sap, sweat, inky lake water, mud, thousands of perfumes and body deodorants and lotions all blending together, and the ever-present scent of sparks of magic in the air wasn't all that appealing to her. Grumbling under her breath about hygiene and foul odors, Haven proceeded towards the carriages. Only a small handful remained and she jumped on the next one to leave. She squealed when a pair of hands suddenly clung to her hips and the weight of a person shoved her forward. Haven stumbled forward several steps before flipping around to see none other than Padfoot, James, the bookworm, and the stump hopping on. They were in a fit of giggles as they ushered the obviously kidnapped Lily Evans into a seat.

"You're all absolutely insufferable!" Lily crossed her arms over her chest and faced away from the boys who all claimed seats. James moved in right next to Lily, wrapping an arm around her and attempting to convince her to go on a date with him. The stump wiggled in a seat next to James and the other two sat on the opposite side. Padfoot yanked Haven down, half on his lap. She was about to roar her protests when he shifted her to be sitting directly between him and the bookworm, off of his lap. Padfoot then proceeded to tease James and Lily. Content that she wasn't his object of interest at that moment, Haven twisted towards the bookworm to see what he was reading. Instead, she was faced with a nostril full of the thick werewolf scent and his green gaze searing into her. He was tense. There was no need to ask why, though. The full moon wasn't quite near, yet, but Haven was positive he was as startled to find a wolf as she was to find a werewolf. The look in his eyes, however, made her want to be in Padfoot's lap, again.

"Remus Lupin. We call him Moony, though." Haven jumped, startled by the sudden introduction from James. She hadn't realized the conversation around her had halted. Everyone was staring at her and Remus, now. All she could manage was a nod.

"And the others?" She finally asked after several moments of awkward silence. James pointed at each in turn.

"Peter 'Wormtail' Pettigrew and Sirius 'Padfoot' Black. Of course, I'm James 'Prongs' Potter. Your savior here-" he gestured to Lily and she cut him off, finishing the introduction herself.

"Lily Evans." Shooting a glare at James, she continued. "I'm not a savior but his ego partially includes me. For some reason, putting me on a pedestal inflates his massive head."

"It sure inflates something." Sirius snickered.

"How pleasant you are to be around, Black."

"Don't knock it 'till you try it." James winked at her.

"I'd rather not."

"Come on, Evans, you know you're dying to go out with me."

"Well, I'm certainly not dead, yet."

"Awe, don't be that way, Evs."

"Call me 'Evs' again, Potter, and I'll show you another way I can be."

"You promise?" James winked again. The constant flirting with Lily was making Haven feel almost nauseous.

"Look at you two, fighting like cats and dogs." Sirius weasled back in, laughing.

"Oh yeah. Like a real married couple." Haven sneered before laughing. Her laughter, surprisingly, was accompanied by several chuckles. Sirius was damn-near falling out of his seat, patting her roughly on the back. Even more surprising, though, was that she got Remus to crack a grin. James was grinning ear-to-ear, now, Lily swatting at him and objecting profusely. With a slight boost of confidence, now, Haven leaned back over to Remus, who instantly tensed at her drawing closer. She peered curiously at his book. "What are you reading?"

"A book." He stated quietly.

"What book?" He turned the binding towards her. Big, gold, ornate letters spelled out '101 unnatural Potions and Effects.' Being someone who was always into Potions, not even Haven could fathom why it'd be so interesting.

"Is it any good?" He nodded. She scrunched her nose up in disappointment. It felt like she was running into walls with him. Sirius and James had returned to their double-teaming of Lily who was red-faced and looked to be about to breathe fire. Haven sighed and decided to redouble her efforts. "Personally, I love potions. I was researching poison antidotes and using them as a basis of creating a potion to - at minimal - stop curses from spreading or - at greatest - make curses have the exact opposite effect it was initially supposed to have." Haven was no longer leaning towards him and had been staring up at the darkened sky. She was only hoping that she'd be able to spark some form of conversation between the two of them. There was an awkward silence for a moment before she came to the conclusion she was being stared at again. Finally looking down from the sky, she realized she was right. Everyone was sitting in suspense and stared at her in awe. Her face heated up with a blush and she began fiddling with the hem of her skirt. "I haven't gotten very far, yet. I'm hoping to spend much of my free time here to continue my project. I almost unravelled something amazing to really get a head start but wasn't able to continue it before school started." The group seemed to lose interest since she hadn't made any progress and turned their attention elsewhere. Only Lily was leaning forward eagerly in her seat.

"I can help. If you'd like, that is." Her smile seemed to make the night light up a bit more. Haven could see why James was infatuated with her. She was certainly a gem. Before conversation could continue, however, Remus closed his book, saving his place with a thumb as he stared intently at Haven.

"Forgive me. I didn't catch your name."

She fumbled for a moment, realizing she hadn't introduced herself despite having had James introduce everyone else. "H-haven! I'm Haven Nyx." Extending her hand a bit for a handshake only for him to stare at it, she felt once more like hiding from the bookworm. Haven dropped her hand back to her lap.

"Good luck with your work. I'm sure with Lily's help you two will come up with something rather impressive." It almost sounded like he was saying good-bye. She realized why, though, when the carriage rumbled to a stop. Everyone slowly arose from seats. Lily was the first off, stalked by James. Peter wobbled off after James like a leech, and Remus slowly made his way behind them, seemingly no intent on rushing to keep up. Sirius put a hand on Haven's shoulder, giving her an awkward smile.

"Don't worry about Moony, he's just a little antisocial."

"A little?"

He laughed at her question. "You're right. He's a lot antisocial." With a wave of a hand, he lunged off the carriage and bolted after his friends. Haven sighed, climbing carefully off and heading towards the castle so she could get into the Great Hall, already. The carriage ride had seemed longer than normal, probably due to the extra company and not being able to read her book like usual. Dinner, however, was probably going to be rather head aching, Haven thought. Realizing it'd be even noisier than the train ride even was, she slowed her walk even further. There was no point in rushing in.


	2. Chapter 2

The first month was the usual everything - introductions, classes, reunions, getting used to the constant noise and the dizzying scents of . . . well, everything, really. Just like always, Haven spent the majority of that first month in the hospital wing, bending over a vomit bucket. Luckily, she had convinced the nurse in her second year that being around a lot of people made her extremely nervous to the point of being sick, and reassured her it would take time to readjust to her surroundings every year. Even when sick, though, Haven still managed to keep up with her classwork and homework just fine. It was just done in the infirmary instead of the classroom. Not that she minded being in the only quiet place in all of Hogwarts for all the first month - in fact, she partially wished she could stay there for the rest of the school year - she was eager to return to the crowd to make an attempt at being a normal girl, despite the fact that all the scents mixed together made her nauseous.

Much to Haven's surprise, Lily Evans came by on the day of her release and walked with her back to the common room. "The boys are insufferable!" Was her excuse. "Besides, I wanted to set up a schedule for your potion project." Haven had almost forgotten about her project when Lily brought it up. They took their time walking back to talk about ingredients and appropriate time schedules to work on the potion. The two of them spent quite the time giggling over their discussion. "But, don't let the boys get a hold of it. They'll find some way to turn it into a date rape drug." Lily laughed. Haven hadn't the slightest idea what she was talking about, but laughed - nervously albeit - with her. Almost as if they heard the call, however, and came running like dogs, two obnoxious voices interrupted Haven and Lily's conversation accompanied by an arm around both of their shoulders. The strong scent of gunpowder and meat and gravy on his breath nearly masked the faint scent of sweets and his cologne that Haven liked so much - telling her she was being held by James Potter before she could even look over.

"Look, our favorite girls!" James hollered.

Sirius, coming up on Haven's other side, gave her and Lily a wink. "Good evening, lovelies. We were just thinking about you two."

Lily scrunched her nose at Sirius' comment. "Oh look who it is-" she mocked in a flat tone. "Our nightmares."

James stood up straighter, adjusting his red and gold tie and getting his usual smug look. "I'm honored that you think of me even whilst asleep."

"I share that honor with you, mate." Sirius chimed in with an honest tone of voice. Haven couldn't help but burst into a fit of giggles at the two of them, covering her mouth with a hand. James beamed at someone finding him amusing. "You two should come enjoy a party with us." Haven nearly said yes when Lily snorted a laugh and held up a rejecting hand. She began droning on and on about how the boys should be studying rather than playing and 'partying' - stating they'd do good to follow Remus' good example. Sirius and James both shared a look, glancing back at the Bookworm before laughing in unison. That was the first time Haven realized Remus the Bookworm and Peter the Plum weren't far behind. She felt a little flustered, being so in tuned to James' scent that she didn't smell the others.

"She has a point. You'd be much more popular with the girls if you studied some and had better grades." Haven peered back at James, hoping only a little they wouldn't take the advice. The Marauders - and most especially James Potter - didn't need any more girls drooling over them on a daily basis. James, of course, turned it around to flirt with Lily, asking her if she'd like him more if he got better grades.

"Potter, you'd have to be smart enough, first, to get better grades." Lily stated in a high-and-mighty tone.

"Don't worry, Prongs. You get all the girls already. Between you and Sirius you have the whole school under your belt - so to speak." Bookworm called up. There was a chorus of laughter and chuckling.

"He doesn't have us all under his belt." Lily huffed. "Me and Haven and several other young, intelligent women are smart enough not to sully our hands with the trash."

James groped at his chest, pretending to be in pain. "Oh! My pride!" More laughter. Lily and James went back and forth some more before the flirting started back up. Lily begun feigning - or perhaps not - interest in James if he had the ability to be 'smarter'. By this point, Haven decided to pick up the pace and tune out the conversation. Haven wanted nothing more than for 'the great and beautiful' Lily Evans to become completely invisible. What was so great about her anyways? A painful slap on Haven's back brought her out of her angered thoughts. "She'll enjoy it! Won't you?" James bellowed a laugh, winking at Haven. All she could do was offer a nervous laugh, unsure of what they were talking about. Apparently taking that as a 'yes', James turned back to Lily to prove his point - whatever it was. Sirius' laughter rang through her ears and she couldn't help but pick up the pace even more. Haven could smell the romance emanating from Lily and James - and it was nauseating. The sickeningly sweet scent made her wish she had been allowed to walk to her room alone. Making friends with Lily was a terrible idea. She'd have to eternally suffer the flirting between those two. It's like she wouldn't get noticed unless James wanted to prove something to Lily. But, then again, she never got noticed by James other than a small handful of chance encounters, anyways, and she was still pretty sure he didn't remember those times.

"Hey! Slow down!" James hollered. Haven paused, looking behind herself to see Lily and the Marauders all running to catch up to her. Staring at the group, Haven couldn't fathom why they cared how fast she walked. It's not like they were exactly including her in the conversation. Ever so slowly, her green hues slid on to Lily, weighing her influence. Haven shifted her weight, waiting impatiently for the group. James was the first to catch up, wrapping an arm around her. "Don't go leaving us behind, now. That hurts my feelings."

"Woah. Prongs. You have feelings?" Sirius looked genuinely shocked.

James slapped a hand over his heart, throwing his head back and flailing out his other arm dramatically. "Oh! Ooooh! My feelings are but a dramatic tale. One of love and loss. The tale of a Prince whose Princess would not allow him the chance to take her on a carriage ride under the stars."

Clearly, James was into theatrics.

"You're hardly a prince, Potter." Lily sighed. "Besides, if I wanted to go on a 'carriage ride under the stars' it'd be with Haven, not you."

"No wonder you're not into James. You're playing for the same team." Sirius snorted a laugh.

"Excuse you!"

"No, no. Excuse you! What's the term . . . Ladies first?"

"But, Padfoot, I didn't realize that applied to ladies' love lives, as well." James joined in.

"Mate, I didn't either." He placed a reassuring hand on James' shoulder.

"Both of you knock it off!" Lily roared in protest, her face glowing red.

"Lily and Haven sitting in a tree, S-N-O double G-I-N-G. First comes smut, then comes marriage-" James sang.

"Wait! Can women even legally marry each other?" Sirius and James shared a moment to think on the subject. "Yup, it's settled. You two will just have to marry us and then get juicy behind closed doors when no one's looking."

"'Cept for us." James threw in quickly for Sirius. "If I'm going to get married to a lesbian I better get some damn good view time." Haven's face burned like lava. James did an awkward pelvic thrust as he and Sirius began exchanging lesbian jokes. Lily gripped Haven's arm, pulling her along as she picked up the pace.

"Ignore them. They aren't worth the time nor the attention." She growled. The boys, who stayed behind, hollered at them down the hall about finding a broom closet. Haven and Lily hurried back to the common room, where she rushed back to her room in a flurry of blonde. Haven wasn't even sure if she should be embarrassed or furious - perhaps a bit of both.

She had spent a good hour with her nose blissfully in a book about a woman who was discovering she was more than what she was led to believe and had to learn to use that power to stop a war. It wasn't too terribly interesting, Haven thought, unless you were into sappy tragedies. Soon enough, though, Haven's room mates all stumbled in, giggling and shoving each other playfully. Those three were the closest connections she had with people and they even weren't all that close. Haven scrunched her nose in displeasure at the smell of their perfumes. By now, she figured she'd be used to it; but, she also figured she'd be used to everything else, too. Clearly, she hadn't gotten used to anything at all. Her room mates were good to her, though. Melliandra, Casey, and Autumn were their names. Autumn was lengthy and thin with orange hair and blue eyes. Melliandra was a bit thicker built with curly black hair and grey eyes - also by far the most 'womanly' looking of any of the fifth years. She could pull off being twenty, Haven thought; and Casey was short with curly brown hair and warm almond eyes. All three of them were rather pretty, but the sheer amount of perfume they had was suffocating. They left Haven alone for the most part, tending to their nails and hair and faces, all while giggling about the cutest boys in school and Quidditch. Haven stuck her book on the shelf next to her bed and slid out a new one. The few books she did have there she had already read several times over. Haven wasn't concentrating on the book much, she was half paying attention to the girls' conversation. They were giggling on about James Potter - of course - and comparing him to other 'cute boys'.

"Haven~!" All three girls whined in unison. More often than not, Haven swore they were the female versions of the Marauders - except with more tact. "Get us some snacks from the party down stairs, 'kay?" Melliandra held on to Haven's hands pleadingly.

"Weren't you just down there?" She stared at the three blankly, curious as to why they couldn't get their own food. The last place she wanted to be was down stairs where she'd be subjected to more of the Marauders' interesting ways of torture - or maybe she did. But, the girls continued to beg.

"They wouldn't let us have any!"

"Yeah, and you're like, totally friends with Evans, now. So you totally have the 'in'." Casey threw in. Now, Haven was just downright confused. She slipped a bookmark between the pages of her book and set it aside.

"Explain to me what this 'in' is."

"Uh, hello! Join the Earthlings, Space-girl. The 'in' to the Marauders external circle. Not many people can get an 'in'."

Autumn had a crooked smile as she threw in her two cents, as well. "The 'in' is what happens when you get generally accepted as part of a famous - or infamous - group without accepting the title of said group."

"Yeah, and you're totally in the 'in'!"

"Okay, okay!" Haven giggled, waving them off. "I'll go get your snacks if you stop talking about this 'in' stuff."

"Deal!" All three girls squealed. Haven rolled out of bed, making sure her feet were firmly on the ground before slipping into her fuzzy night slippers and rushing out of the room. She told herself over and over in her head that she'd grab the snacks and go. Haven narrowed her senses, looking for that faint scent of gunpowder from the trouble makers - or at least their unique tells. Taking the stairs two at a time, only stopping when she nearly lost a slipper, she raced down the stairs. By the time she got to the bottom, however, she came to the dizzying conclusion her efforts to sniff them out would be in vain. There were far too many people in the common room to tell the majority of scents apart. Haven swayed on her feet a bit, having a sudden urge to hunt for a bathroom and vomit. Taking a deep breath and holding it, she darted for the tables with the snacks. She ignored all of the people to the best of her ability, immediately scooping up arm-fulls of chocolate frogs, jelly beans, donuts, a biscuit or two, other delicious pastries laying about, and locked a slice of pie in her mouth for herself. Attempting to balance all of the goods and not bite too hard into the pie, Haven made for the stairs. Hands - two different pairs, in fact - grabbed her shoulders and arms, stopping her.

"Where do you think you're going?" Smug looks on James and Sirius' faces told Haven they were up to no good. Haven could only manage noises around her pie. "Is that so?" One of the two mocked. "We were hoping you'd come hang out with us."

"Oh, yeah. Come hang with the cool kids, y'know?"

Haven attempted to noise her protests, unaware of where they were leading her. "So, you and Lily are all buddy-buddy, now, right?" More muffled noises. Haven snapped her head back and forth between the two, trying to reason with them without losing her pie. Her efforts appeared to be futile. When they finally stopped moving, Sirius moved to stand directly in front of Haven, leaning in too close for her comfort. "That looks delicious. Mind if I have a taste?" Her face went bright red when he tilted he head to the side, leaning forward even more to bite off some of the pie. She could feel his lips brush against her own when he bit down. Nearly inhaling part of the pie from shock, she stumbled backwards - straight into the lap of Remus Lupin. Most of the sweets she held dropped and rolled around the floor, the rest of her pie hitting her chest, Bookworm's knees, and then the floor. He was immediately tense, holding a book out of the way so she didn't damage it. The intoxicating scent of werewolf flooding her lungs made her just as tense. Sirius and James burst into a fit of giggles about Remus and Haven being nerds together. Haven attempted to fight off her blush and relax, but her attempts failed miserably when Sirius leaned back over her, trailing his tongue across her chest, neck, chin, and cheek to lick up crumbs and whipped cream from the pie. Her entire body, she was sure, was bright red and on fire at this point. Her heart pounded in her ears, her brain ceased to work, her mouth moved in an attempt to form words but her voice seemed not to exist. Haven sat as still as possible, holding her breath. It felt like forever before Sirius' tongue lifted off of her burning flesh. Pastel green eyes frantically darted around as Haven searched for her savior. Sirius' lips brushed against her's once more as he spoke to her. "Look at you, being all cute. I could just eat you up." At that, her eyes grew large, her heart stopping. An angry flurry of red hair and a rolled up newspaper being swatted at all three boys stopped Sirius from going any further. Lily Evans had stormed over with a flock of girls behind her, gripping the newspaper tightly. The Marauders all cringed.

"You three should be ashamed of yourselves! Stop picking on defenseless kids!" Her glower made Sirius put his hands up defensively, attempting to explain that Haven could have told him to stop at any point. Remus, Haven thought, looked relieved that Lily had finally come over - in fact, Haven was relieved, as well. James immediately jumped to Haven's defense.

"Hey! She is, in fact, a young woman. Only a year younger than yourself." Naturally, the comment made Haven turn even more red than before. Fumbling desperately for words, and stuttering once she found them, Haven apologized to Remus and rolled off his lap, dropping the remainder of the sweets on a nearby table and darted blindly for the stairs. She could hear Lily scolding the group as she took the stairs three at a time, silently reassuring herself it was bed time. Even with her room mates whining about not getting their sweets, Haven still managed to fall asleep.

* * *

Classes the next day went rather normally, despite Haven's sinking feeling that the day wouldn't end as such. By the time the last class of the day rolled around, though, her fears came to light. Golden hair flowing behind her, robes billowing with her long-legged strides, head lowered enough to make herself look 'innocent and just trying to get to class', Haven made her way through the maze of hallways that made up Hogwarts. Every step clicked with the floor. Every turn made sharply and gracefully. She practically glided through the halls. Potions class was all that was left for the day. By the time she got in, Professor Slughorn had already begun the lesson. "Nice of you to join us, Miss Nyx." He quickly interrupted himself to address her.

"Good evening, Professor Slughorn." She stated quietly, blowing bangs out of her face. As she moved towards her seat, Haven couldn't help but notice four trouble-makers against a far wall. The Marauders were all whispering to each other and shoving each other playfully. James and Sirius, naturally, were being increasingly obnoxious. Bookworm had his nose in a book and the Plum was staring intensely at his own feet as if they'd done something wrong to him. Haven slowed her walk, blatantly staring at them. "Professor?"

"Y-yes, Miss Nyx? What d-do you want?"He seemed startled at her sudden interruption of what he was saying.

"What are sixth years doing in here?" Haven's eyes finally met his.

"They're in trouble! Don't pay any mind." He looked angered at the fact that they were noticed. Her green hues trailed back over to the Marauders, again, who had all turned their attention on her. For the first time that day, Haven took a full breath of air, accepting the scents of all of her classmates that came with it. Perfume, cologne, biscuits, everyone's dinner, lunch, and breakfast, fresh nail polish, hormones and pheromones, someone didn't brush their teeth, body odor, and - as expected - the scent of gunpowder. It wasn't even faint like it normally was. Haven was beyond sure they did something they shouldn't have been doing - but that was no surprise. Huffing, she spun on her heels and headed to the seat farthest from them. It seemed like an eternity had passed when the Professor finally scolded the Marauders for ditching classes and dismissed them. A good ten or so minutes after they had left, Haven threw her hand high in the air.

"Professor, I have to use the little girl's room!" Stuttering for a moment, Slughorn dismissed her, as well. She rushed out of the class and down the hall, racing as quick as she could to catch up with the Marauders. Haven wasn't entirely sure what possessed her to do everything in her power to catch up to them, but every fiber in her being wanted to be close to them again. They were all laughing and shoving each other down the hall, making jokes about one thing or another and being their usual loud and obnoxious selves. Even Bookworm had a grin on his face. Panting, Haven caught up and nearly knocked James and Sirius both over by lunging forward and wrapping an arm around either of them. "You four went to Hogsmede!" She yelled. James shared looks with the other three, all of them shocked that she was there.

"Look who decided to approach us, this time."

"Well, I can't let you make the first move every time, right?" She grinned, feeling totally out of character.

"Aren't you supposed to be the shy and quiet type?" Sirius asked, chuckling. Letting go of the boys, she swung her arms in a half-circle motion, walking in step with them.

"Yeah, I guess so. But, if I don't make an effort of be friends then I'm not much of a friend, now am I? I think I can afford to come out of my shell if but a little."

"Well, the reassurance surely helps. We were starting to think you didn't like us." Bookworm smiled at her, making her grin even more.

"Well, then!" Sirius wrapped an arm around her shoulders, grinning as well. "As our 'friend' you won't tell on us for going to Hogsmede, right?"

Haven huffed. "Perhaps."

"Perhaps! Friends don't tell on friends."

"Friends don't use friendship as a get-out-of-jail-free card, either." Sirius stopped walking, forcing her to stop, too, as he stared desperately at her.

"Awe, come on. Don't be that way."

The other three had stopped walking, now, too, watching Sirius and Haven.

"I'll consider keeping it a secret . . . given the right incentive."

"A date." James stated. Haven whirled, green eyes trained on him, now. She could feel her body turn fire.

"A d-date?"

"She's got a point. What kind of date are we talking, here?" Sirius totally missed the point by a long shot.

"A double date. Me and the flower, you and her, and I guess Moony and Wormtail can take each other if they fancy coming along." James sounded so sure. Bookworm and the Plum both shot James a glare.

Sirius leaned closer to Haven, his breath thick of butter beer. "What do you say, fancy a date with me?" He winked. Haven could feel how red her face was and didn't dare give a clear response. Sirius didn't even seem deterred. "You just leave the planning to me and Prongs. We'll all go out and do something special." Haven could only nod at that. As the Marauders all made their leave, she felt the blush fade away into excitement. She rushed back down the hallway, practically skipping back to class. There was no way she'd get the thought out of her head that she'd be going on her first date and James was going to be participating - even if he wasn't going to be her date, he'd still be a part of it. Haven felt her heart skip a beat. This was her chance to show what she was made of. This was her chance to catch James' attention. She eagerly got through the rest of Potions class, playing cheerful tunes in her own head. The date - whenever and wherever - was going to be blissfully perfect in every way.


End file.
